Last Friday, a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team passed away.
Kurt Schumacher, an ex-All-American offensive lineman, passed away at the age of 70.
Son Tim Schumacher and his wife Sara, daughter Betsy Liston and her husband Sonny, grandchildren Nathan, Grace, Kyle, Andrew, and Paige, brother-in-laws Bob and Terri Krul and Randy Krul and their wives Kathy, and their two Greyhounds, Thea and Chase, survive him.
He was predeceased by two sisters and a brother in addition to his parents, Albert and Mary Fier.
Kurt Schumacher was an Ohio State player from 1971 to 1974. He was a blocking back for Pete Johnson and Archie Griffin, two of the best running backs in program history. Griffin is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner and holds the program record for career rushing yards, while Johnson has scored the most touchdowns of any Buckeye in his career.
After being awarded an All-American in 1974 and earning a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Ohio State, he was rewarded with his own tree in Buckeye Grove.
His college efforts were noticed by NFL management, and he was rewarded for them.
The New Orleans Saints selected Kurt Schumacher with the 12th overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft. Schumacher was used as a blocking tight end for two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Archie Manning. Kurt Schumacher spent three seasons with the New Orleans Hornets before spending a year there as a starting guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to his obituary, after concluding his playing career at age 26, he worked for incentive and motivational firms for the following 34 years of his life. He subsequently went on to start his own company, which he ran for six years.
Kurt Schumacher’s life will be honored at St. James, North Carolina, at a later time. Donations to the SECU Hospice House of Brunswick or the Mr. Mo Project, a senior dog rescue, may be sent in lieu of flowers.
